The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is inviting people to learn all about trees this November and December as part of National Tree Week. The 37th annual National Tree Week will run from 26th November to 4th December 2011 and marks the launch of the tree planting season. Whilst most of nature is hibernating in the colder months, winter is the prime time to get new trees into the ground.

To mark the occasion, many HTA member garden retailers and nurseries will be holding events to celebrate National Tree Week. Customers will get the chance to learn more about trees from their local garden centre and receive helpful tips and advice on selecting the right tree for the right spot and then caring for them.

Monkton Elm Garden and Pet Centre in Taunton, Somerset will be providing complimentary advice on all tree-related matters throughout the week and will also be offering customers the chance to learn on how to care for different varieties of tree.

The Garden Centre Group will be holding tree caring lessons in many of their garden centres across the country whilst Paradise Park in Newhaven and part of Tate's of Sussex group are running a "Plant a Tree Fortnight" from 31st November to 13th December.

Suffolk-based John Woods Nurseries have been long-standing supporters of the initiative. Their message is that while some gardeners might be put off planting a tree because there's not the room, they shouldn't. The nursery will be promoting their top three small trees Cercis Lavender Twist, Apple Scrumptious and Cornus Venus.

Grosvenor Garden Centre in Chester is marking the occasion by introducing new varieties to its popular range of fruit and ornamental trees, such as Apple Christmas Pippin and Rosette, Prunus Frilly Frock and Sorbus Olympic Flame.

"Our trees are sourced from British nurseries as local to the garden centre as possible with none travelling further than Worcestershire so they arrive and remain in the best condition possible," stated Pete Davies, plant buyer at Grosvenor.

"Each of the new varieties has been carefully chosen for its excellent quality and exciting new distinctive features. National Tree Week is the perfect time to plant at least one new tree and any of these new varieties would be a great addition to every garden - we even provide a free stake and tie to give all our trees the best possible start,"

HTA Ornamental Committee member Frank P Matthews Nursery based in Worcestershire, has supplied nearly 100,000 trees so far this autumn, and expect this to double before Christmas. Two thirds of those sent are fruit trees and a third being ornamental trees

Frank P Matthews work closely with the Tree Council to help supply hundreds of trees for various community and school projects, including orchards, woodlands and urban ornamentals.

Matthew Thomas of Frank P Matthews said: "Trees are a very important part of our landscape and help improve the environment for the benefit of people and wildlife. National Tree Week comes at the right time of year for planting and the more trees we can all get in the ground the better for everyone."

Trees can transform an area by introducing welcome shade, protective shelter and wildlife and are an investment for future generations. Research in HTA's Greening the UK campaign has shown that just a 10% increase in tree coverage in urban areas will counter the predicted 4°c temperature over the next 100 years caused by climate change and the urban heat island effect. ¹

Britain has one of the smallest amounts of woodlands in Europe. National Tree Week was launched in 1975 helps to emphasise this fact and is the UK's biggest annual tree celebration.